Aramco Tower hit in Riyadh as Houthis claim fresh strikes on Saudi capital

The Aramco Tower in Riyadh's central financial district was hit in a fresh cross-border attack claimed by Yemen's Houthi movement. Saudi authorities said air defences intercepted and destroyed several missiles, while the energy ministry said the tower suffered only minor damage and no one was killed or injured. Footage authenticated by BBC Verify showed more extensive damage to the building, including shattered windows on more than one level.

The Houthis said they had targeted Riyadh's business district on Saturday, although their statement did not name the tower directly. They also said separate strikes were aimed at Riyadh airport and Aramco oil storage facilities. The incident marks another attempt by the Iran-backed group to reach deep into Saudi territory, despite the kingdom's air defence systems and repeated efforts to contain such attacks.

The strike comes against the backdrop of a long-running war in Yemen that has repeatedly spilled across the border. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting the Houthis for more than a decade in support of Yemen's internationally recognised government, which has lost control of much of the country. The conflict had eased in recent years, but it has intensified again after an informal ceasefire unravelled in July, when the Houthis announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia and began missile and drone attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers in the Red Sea.

The timing also matters because the attack followed Saudi air strikes near Sanaa a day earlier, which the Houthi-run health ministry said killed at least 33 people, including women and children. Houthi-run television showed rescuers pulling bodies from rubble in al-Shariyah, east of the Yemeni capital, and the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said 39 people were injured. Saudi Arabia has not commented on that strike, but the sequence underlines how quickly the conflict can move between Yemen and Saudi territory.

Aramco Tower sits in one of Riyadh's most sensitive commercial areas and is linked to the kingdom's state oil sector, giving the attack both economic and symbolic weight. Even when missiles are intercepted, damage in the financial district can raise concerns about the security of critical infrastructure and the resilience of the capital's business centre. The reported targeting of airport and oil storage sites also points to the wider strategic reach of the campaign.

What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage inside the tower, whether any of the other claimed targets were hit, and how many missiles or drones were launched in total. It is also not clear whether Saudi authorities will issue a fuller assessment of the attack or whether the Houthis will provide further details about their operation. The next developments to watch are any official damage report, any additional claim of responsibility, and whether the exchange leads to further strikes on either side of the border.

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